1.) Right away, it became abundantly clear that, apart from a couple of Asian women with white husbands, that we were the only Asian people at this resort. Not that we ever heard any hotel staff referred to us as such, but we started calling ourselves Los Chinos.
2.) My brother and I both studied Spanish in high school and managed to retain a fair amount of it. The staff was always impressed whenever we conversed with them. Interestingly, and perhaps not surprisingly, the only people who ever asked us where we were from (and clearly were not expecting California as an answer) were the white American and Canadian tourists there. I'm guessing chinos que hablan are not an anomaly to Mexicans. Shouldn't be a surprise to white people either, but whatever...
3.) Getting a group of thirteen together for something as simple as meeting for lunch is like herding drunk cats. And yet, the one person who most successfully dictated our schedule was the youngest of our group, my 18-month old nephew.
4.) We drink a lot.
5.) The ocean is deliciously warm in that part of the Pacific coast. Somehow my brother and I like to announce to each other whenever we pee in it.
6.) When my dad asked the bellhop whether it was safe for us to walk outside the resort, the bellhop said, "Well, you all know karate, right?" I guess some stereotypes are universal. My dad's response: "Yes, but what good is karate when they have guns?" They shared a good laugh.
7.) We went whale watching and swam with dolphins, both of which were awesome activities. I am happy to report that, in spite of my entire family's prediction, I did not fall off the boat or get eaten by a dolphin.
8.) We spent Christmas Eve in a Mexican casino. Sure enough, this is where we found the other Asians in Puerto Vallarta. In fact, the casino has this picture plastered in the front:
10.) I took my mom, dad, and aunt to church Christmas morning. Catholic masses really are done the same way all around the world. Just from the cadence and rhythm of the speech, you can tell where in the mass you are, even if you don't understand the words. My dad: "What else do you need to understand but Jesu Cristo and Alleluia?"
11.) We also spent Christmas Day playing drinking games in the hotel lounge. Our favorite ended up being "High, Low, Red, Black," or as I like to call, My Cousin J's Stupid Ass Drinking Game.
12.) One of the best things about this trip was coming together for lunch and dinner every day. We had never done that with such regularity before, and it brought a really lovely feeling of closeness. On our last night, we went around the table recalling what was our favorite part of the trip. The old folks got all weepy while talking about how grown-up and independent we kids are, and how it's us holding their hands on these family trips now. It was a beautiful moment. My brother's response: "My favorite part of this trip is my tan."
13.) We saw Mario Lopez while checking in at the airport for our return flight. If he weren't with his family I probably would have bothered him for a picture. That I lived in Los Angeles for four years and never once felt the impulse to talk to any of the celebrities I spotted regularly there shows just how much I loved Saved By the Bell.
14.) Leave it to me to get diarrhea after I come home from Mexico.
15.) We've decided to do family trips every other year for Christmas. Not sure where the next destination will be. I am tempted to pick a location based on what would make the best blogging fodder.
